SUPERIOR -- A Superior resident who helped discover what turned out to be missing 10-year-old Jessica Ridgeway's backpack said he and his wife first noticed the bag sitting on the sidewalk next to their home just after midnight Saturday -- more than 12 hours before it came to the attention of authorities.

The man, who wished to remain anonymous due to the ongoing nature of the investigation, said he could see the backpack wasn't his family's, and, given the hour of night, decided not to deal with it until morning.

"It was out of place, so that we noted it, but not out of place enough that we got out and took a look at it," he said Monday, noting that kids in the suburban Rock Creek neighborhood sometimes leave out bikes and other belongings.

Missing flier for Jessica Ridgeway (Westminster Police Department)

He said he and his wife did not remember seeing the backpack when they left their house at the intersection of Andrew Drive and Alpha Court earlier in the evening -- around 6:45 p.m. -- on Saturday.

The next morning, the man said he noticed the bag was still there and he and a neighbor checked it out. He said the backpack appeared to have been placed deliberately in a standing-up position on the sidewalk rather than tossed haphazardly.

"Just like you'd set a bag down," he said.

The bag had a keychain with the name "Jessica" on it, as well as a water bottle bearing her name, he said.

Neither he nor his neighbor recognized the name, so his neighbor simply sent an e-mail to a town listserv shortly after 1 p.m. Sunday with a message bearing the subject line "Children's Back Pack Found." The message read: "Found this morning on the side walk at Andrew Drive and Alpha Court. Water bottle has 'Jessica Ridgeway' name on it. Come and get it."

Someone then replied to the e-mail pointing out the backpack's significance, and, according to police, the e-mailer called 911 to report it.

Investigators from the FBI and numerous local law enforcement departments immediately swooped down on the quiet neighborhood Sunday and sealed off several blocks as they conducted interviews of residents and inspected the backpack.

Jessica was last seen Friday morning after leaving on foot for school in Westminster, nearly 61/2 miles from where her backpack was found.

The man said he hopes that the discovery will lead to a resolution in the case, which has made national headlines and spawned massive search operations in both Westminster and Superior.

"I feel for the family and the little girl and what they're going through," he said.

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